Beginners Guide to Gouache

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Making time for new hobbies is always hard but I have a few tips for anyone wanting to pick up a paintbrush more often .

Exciting Update!!!!!   At the end of this post I’ve linked an exciting new Blick University page to make it easier for you to check out the supplies listed below!

And be sure to follow along on Instagram HERE and on Facebook and YouTube for tutorials using these supplies!

I had the chance to talk to Brooke Walker on KSL Studio 5 and talk about it more in this segment.

 

 

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Beginners List Gouache Paint

Best Paper for Gouache

I like to use Hot Press paper like this.  It’s one of my favorite brands and it makes a big difference.  This sketchbook is another good choice if you want to stay a little more budget friendly, and it comes in a pad as well.

Pencil for Watercolor or Gouache

And I’ll even tell you my favorite pencil for gouache.   It’s kind of a secret, but you can find it here.  You need to be careful, and know that it’s made from a harder lead so it will only make light marks on the paper.  Don’t press super hard or you will engrave your mark into you paper making it impossible to erase.

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Gouache Palettes

This is a great budget friendly palette option that I use and it works great.  It’s not the sturdiest, but it does the job just fine.

If you are looking for something sturdier I recommend this metal watercolor box.  I got the 48 half pan option so that I could put my gouache on one side and watercolor on the other.  As my collection has grown, I ran out of room so now I have one for each type of paint, and love it!  This one is a great option for a 12 pan metal paint box.

This cute little flower is also great to use for paint as well as for mixing while you are painting.  I use mine ALL the time.

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Gouache Paint Colors to Buy

Ah the fun part.  I’m going to list my personal top four and then the rest in the order that I would add them to my collection.

White

Opera Rose

Lemon Yellow

Cobalt Turquoise Light

 

Sap green

Flame Red 

Burnt Umber

Ivory Black

Great Brushes for Gouache

I like to buy rounds.  These are favorites of mine.  Buy this one, and this one too.  If you like tiny details you can grab a teeny#2 as well, but they have really good points so I don’t need my tiny brushes very often if ever.  I’ve used these for a long time and they are still going strong.  One thing to keep in mind if you are using gouache with an expensive watercolor brush is that gouache is a little bit more gritty than watercolor and it will wear down your brushes faster, so maybe save that sweet Kolinsky Series 7 for the watercolor…..

Blick University Easy Order List

If you’re looking for an easy way to order the supplies listed above CLICK HERE  and check out my new Blick University Class list for this post!

You can click on the Blue item numbers on the left side of the page to view each item!

Bags and Basket

I LOVE my 42nd and Pine canvas bag to keep tons of my supplies.  It’s a great size and I love the message on the front!  And if you need a little more space for more supplies you can’t get more stylish than this gorgeous market basket from Plum + Sparrow.  It holds so many supplies and I love using it to carry things from the studio to my kitchen and back again.  It keeps all my favorites close at hand wherever I need to be.

 

For more great tutorials and updates be sure to sign up for our email list!

And be sure to check out this post using acrylics if you’re interested in learning more about different types of paint!

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